Len Milburn

Len Milburn was a diminutive but electrifying wingman and rover who arrived at South Melbourne as an early interstate recruit before the club fully assembled its famous "Foreign Legion." Hailing from Queensland where he had established a reputation as a speed machine with the Windsor Football Club, Milburn stood just 170cm and weighed a slight 63kg, relying entirely on his agility and blistering foot speed to evade heavier VFL opponents. He broke into the senior side in Round 4 of the 1931 season and became a regular fixture for the remainder of the year, showing enough quality to poll two Brownlow Medal votes in just 12 games. Despite this promising debut campaign, his tenure at the Lake Oval was brief, as he was squeezed out of the squad the following season when the club aggressively ramped up its star-studded recruiting drive to secure the 1933 premiership.